Andrew High School Kicks Off Start With Hello Week

Students and staff at Victor J. Andrew High School kicked off their annual Start with Hello Week with a few high-fives, some candy and a lot of smiles. The week is designed to ensure everyone feels included and to prompt conversations with the goal of creating a closer, more connected school community.

Start with Hello is part of the Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization which aims to increase school safety and prevent violence and victimization in schools and communities. Students who isolate themselves because they feel left out or invisible pull away from social life, which disrupts their learning and social development. These factors can cause many to turn to harming themselves and/or harming others.

Andrew senior Michelle Cordova, president of SAVE Club says, “Start with Hello is a way to empower everyone and help those who might feel lonely or isolated. It’s a way to make Andrew an even friendlier place.”

The Club has real traction, with more than 30 students joining their first meeting of the year. Members have planned activities throughout the week and the school year. This week, the Club will raffle off a set of Homecoming tickets through Instagram. Students can enter the raffle by saying hello to someone new, posting a photo with that person on the SAVE Club Instagram page, and using the #Start With Hello.

Next month, the club will host a SAVE Social during Advisory period where students can meet new people as they play a board game, do an art activity or just chat. In October, the Club will host their annual communitywide trick-or-treat event, where various clubs decorate classrooms and neighborhood children trick-or-treat from room to room.

SAVE Club Sponsor Tina Pappas says, “Start with Hello is a way to get students to talk to one another, to present opportunities for students to engage in school and to decrease loneliness and isolation - all in an effort to eliminate violence.”